Global Arc

In this course we will try to understand the complex phenomenon of "tonality." We will theorize about harmony, voice leading, scales and study works by Schubert, Chopin, Wagner, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Reich and contemporary jazz.

Story, song and the written word share a common and ancient heritage in the Irish Tradition. In this seminar series we will explore the rich tapestry that comprises the written word in Irish Language Literature and Song and examine how oral forms of artistic expression continue to enrich a nation's literature and music to this very day. The series will explore the shared histories of Irish Language Poetry and the Sean Nós song tradition, how oral culture finds expression in Irish Theatre and how older oralities still find potent representation and viability in a wide span of contemporary Music Culture, from Opera to Traditional Music.

An introduction to a variety of 20th-century approaches to composition. Emphasis on understanding different techniques, syntaxes, and musical languages through exercises in compositional emulations and in performance projects of student and studied works, using available performance skills of participants. Prerequisite: 206 or instructor's permission. One three-hour seminar, one preceptorial.

The course will deal closely with a small number of works from the tonal repertoire and will serve as a critical introduction to several pertinent and influential analytical methodologies, including motivic, formal, semiotic, and voice-leading analysis. The focus will be on the musical and aesthetic values that each method either enhances or attenuates. Prerequisite: 206 or instructor's permission. One three-hour seminar.

A composition course for independent, self-directed composers. Most of the class will be spent working on a single piece. Students will present their work-in-progress to the class weekly or biweekly depending on enrollment. We will have a concert of final projects at the end of the semester, with all student pieces to be performed by So Percussion, the music department's world-renowned ensemble-in-residence.

An exploration of the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic principles of the bebop paradigm. The course includes analysis of representative works by various jazz masters and will place a strong emphasis on student projects in improvisation and composition. Prerequisites: 105 or permission of instructor. Two 90-minute classes.

An examination of the theoretical principles found in modal jazz through analysis of representative works by such composers as Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, and Herbie Hancock. The course will place a strong emphasis on student projects in improvisation and composition. Prerequisites: 105 or permission of instructor. Two 90-minute classes.

This course combines a survey of the history of American experimental music with hands-on participation in the performance of important works in the repertoire. Experimental music questions the traditional modes of composing music and explores new and unusual ways to create musical experience: leaving certain elements to chance, incorporating improvisation, and using graphic scores. In addition to learning to perform existing works, the students will create their own experimental music compositions and perform them. The course requires no prerequisites or specific training in music.

An introduction to the fundamentals of computer and electronic music in the context of the Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk). The music and sound programming language ChucK, developed here at Princeton, will be used in conjunction with Max/MSP, another digital audio language, to study procedural programming, digital signal processing and synthesis, networking, and human-computer interfacing.

Music 315 focuses on computer programs that input and output musical symbols--including scores, MIDI files, and directions for synthesizers to play. The course is aimed at students with interest in music theory and analysis, installations and game design, and algorithmic or computer-assisted composition. The first six weeks will introduce basic techniques, focusing on Python, music21, Pygame, and Pd (or its commercial variant, Max/MSP). The rest of the course will survey more advanced topics in preparation for substantial final projects chosen by students.